All the same, for the past quarter of a century, every five or so years Australian governments have sought to project where the nation is heading, along with the challenges and opportunities that may present themselves.
For, in many ways, it is just as instructive to figure out why previous forecasts missed the mark, delivering valuable insights as to how best to approach the future.
Not for almost a century has there been such disharmony and distrust between the superpowers.
The first European war since 1945 has not only pitted Russia against the US and Europe, it has caused a schism in the NATO alliance, driven in large part by a capricious US president with little regard for the institutions that have underpinned Western democracy.
The US dollar's long-standing position as the global reserve currency has been damaged by America's rapidly expanding debt and its use of financial sanctions, while its decision to punish trading partners has caused discontent.
According to the projections in the report, more Australians will die than will be born in 2066.
As Treasurer Jim Chalmers pointed out at a speech yesterday at the Australian National University, many advanced economies have already surpassed that point, and most of the rest are expected to within the next few decades.
The population, however, will continue to grow as new arrivals make up for the downturn in Australian births, but at a more modest pace than in the past 20 years as immigration rears as a hot political issue.